The bombs ended up being about 45% of revenue, so I think that financially that's a "success". Of course the total revenue is still not great, but I think that has more to do with the overall appeal and/or visibility of the game than saying that bombs failed.
But yes, the bombs still bother me from an ethical point of view.
I think freemium / consumable IAPs can work, in a way that leaves players feeling like it was worth their money. However I don't think they really suit the 'gameplay' of ZOS (it's not even really a game - more of a toy).
In the next update for ZOS I'm planning to make the bombs free. I think they were an interesting experiment - they earned a bit of money and were an interesting learning experience. However ultimately I've learned that IAPs don't make sense for the type of game that ZOS is.
But yes, the bombs still bother me from an ethical point of view.
I think freemium / consumable IAPs can work, in a way that leaves players feeling like it was worth their money. However I don't think they really suit the 'gameplay' of ZOS (it's not even really a game - more of a toy).
A while ago I read this article, which talks about the risks of optimizing for short-term revenue at the expense of increasing player churn and ultimately losing out in the long term: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/188197/the_metrics_are...
In the next update for ZOS I'm planning to make the bombs free. I think they were an interesting experiment - they earned a bit of money and were an interesting learning experience. However ultimately I've learned that IAPs don't make sense for the type of game that ZOS is.